Hong Kong reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases on March 18 as health experts called for a clear way out of a “zero COVID” policy that has left the city isolated.
A World Health Organization spokesperson said on March 18 that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was a long way off, citing a rise in cases in the WHO’s latest weekly data.
U.S. President Joe Biden on March 17 named public health expert Dr. Ashish Jha to replace White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients, who will leave his post in April, as the administration prepares for new COVID-19 variants and infection surges that could hit the country.
The head of the World Health Organization said on March 16 that a global rise in COVID-19 cases could be the tip of the iceberg as some countries also report a drop in testing rates.
The White House said on March 14 that the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant of COVID-19 had been circulating in the United States for some time, with roughly 35,000 cases at the moment, and more money was needed to help fight it.
Mainland China reported more than 1,500 new local COVID-19 infections on March 12, the most since the first nationwide outbreak in early 2020, as the Omicron variant prompted Beijing to introduce self-testing kits for the first time.
New COVID-19 infections in France rose by more than 25% on March 11 compared to one week earlier after rising more than 24% on March 10, as a downward trend that had started late January reversed.
The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron was estimated to be 11.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of March 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on March 8.
Washington, D.C. will no longer require people show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter many businesses beginning on February 15, its mayor said, joining a slew of local leaders who are dialing back pandemic restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs.
The latest wave of COVID-19 infections has “overwhelmed” Hong Kong, the city’s leader said on Feb. 14, as daily cases have surged by some 20 times over the past two weeks, leaving hospitals short of beds and struggling to cope. South Korea will begin giving out fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines during February and supply millions of additional home test kits to ease shortages amid a surge in Omicron infections, authorities confirmed on Feb. 14.
